admincelebrated annually on March 8.
This is a day to celebrate women’s struggle for change, progress made towards shaping strategies for gender equality and to reaffirm commitments made to achieve equality.
The global theme for 2012 IWD is “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures”, while the national theme for Zimbabwe is “Empower Rural Women: Eradicate Poverty and Hunger”.
Both themes aptly captures ZWRCN’s mandate to ensure economic justice and women’s empowerment.
ZWRCN has been involved in women’s empowerment activities through analysis of existing policies, programmes and budgets to assess whether Government’s interventions to date have responded effectively to addressing perceived sources of gender inequality in all sectors.
Zimbabwe is a signatory to several international and regional conventions promoting women’s empowerment. Most notable is the Millennium Convention, with eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) among which the Government of Zimbabwe has identified goals 1 (Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger), 3 (Promote gender equality and empowerment) and 6 (Combat HIV and Aids, Malaria, and other diseases) as national priorities.
ZWRCN’s work and programmes are premised in line with these goals to re-invigorate the Government’s efforts to achieve development in all sectors.
According to the 2011 Human Development Report, Zimbabwe was disappointingly pegged at number 173 out of 183 in the world on economic and human development.
Another disturbing issue is the feminisation of poverty in Zimbabwe, which manifests through a higher prevalence rate of poverty among female-headed households, with 68 percent of female- headed household still living under the Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) — according to a 2010 UNDP report.
These scenarios can only be reversed if Government avails adequate financial resources through the national and local Government budgets towards women’s empowerment and eradication of poverty and hunger.
2012 had a disappointing start and drawback to the welfare of women, with allegations of abuse of the Women’s Development Fund and the temporary yet detrimental scrapping of travellers rebate on clothing as well as the introduction of prohibitive surtax on other goods by the Ministry of Finance.
Though we applaud the recent reversal of the policy on rebate, this was after many women had endured unnecessary strain, experienced embarrassing searches at the borders, or lost whole livelihoods.
It is our hope that future policies and processes potentially affecting women will be consultative before being passed, and that the Anti-Corruption Commission will deal swiftly with abuse of public funds.
Nevertheless, we applaud the tireless efforts being made by Deputy Prime Minister, Thokozani Khupe to improve reproductive health services for women, as well as the Government for allocating gender mainstreaming budget lines in six sector ministries in the 2012 National Budget.
The launch of the Health Transition Fund and subsequent scrapping of maternity user fees currently being mulled by the Government and Ministry of Health are welcome developments set to translate into meaningful benefits for women. Lives have been lost needlessly because of high user fees.
As positive developments are celebrated; we note that more resources need also be channelled towards women’s empowerment projects that aim at alleviating poverty and hunger in all areas.
Breast and cervical cancer, as well as maternal mortality remain big challenges for women in Zimbabwe.
Costs of cancer treatment remain prohibitive, while pregnant women continue to suffer neglect and endure appalling conditions particularly in public hospitals.
May this year see the beginning of a reversal of the major challenges being faced in the health sector.
l For all enquiries, please contact ZWRCN on email: [email protected]/ website: www.zwrcn.org.zw/call on +2634 700250/252388/ visit ZWRCN offices at 288 Herbert Chitepo Avenue cnr Seventh Street, Harare.
Online Reporter